© EuroFootball.com
On Monday, the draws for the first qualifying rounds of the 2011/12 UEFA club tournaments - the Champions League and the Europa League - were held at the headquarters of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in Nyon, Switzerland. The draw was favorable for the Lithuanian champions "Ekranas", while three Lithuanian representatives in the Europa League will face much tougher challenges.
"Ekranas" pleased with Champions League draw
In the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, Panevežys' "Ekranas" had a successful draw. The Lithuanian champions could face representatives from Moldova, Armenia, Hungary, Azerbaijan, or Macedonia.
However, the draw decided that "Ekranas" will face one of the teams playing in the first qualifying round - the winner of the pair between Fiorentino "Tre Fiori" from San Marino and "Valletta" from Malta. This will be determined on July 5-6.
"Of course, I view the draws positively, but we need to prepare responsibly for these matches. We will need to prove our capability on the field. From our past experience, we know we cannot underestimate our opponents," said "Ekranas" coach Valdas Urbonas.
The matches for the second UEFA Champions League qualifying round will take place on July 12-13 and July 19-20. "Ekranas" is expected to play the first match away.
Debutant "Banga" faces a tricky opponent from the East
In the UEFA Europa League, the Lithuanian representatives could face teams from the Netherlands, Sweden, and Azerbaijan.
The LFF Cup finalist team "Banga" will face the third-placed team in the Azerbaijani championship, "Qarabagh", in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League. In recent years, this team has performed well in the Europa League and progressed to the knockout rounds.
"Playing against the team from Azerbaijan means a difficult and distant journey awaits us. I believe the level of football in Azerbaijan is rising, with significant investments being made in the sport. This is evidenced by the good results of their teams in the Europa League," evaluated "Banga" coach Arminas Narbekovas.
Coach Narbekovas has sought information about the opponents and former and current players of "Banga" who have played in Azerbaijan, such as current defender Marius Kazlauskas and former striker Gvidas Juška.
The first match is set to take place on June 30 in Lithuania, with the return leg a week later in Azerbaijan. The winners of this tie will face a trip to the Faroe Islands and a match against EB/Streymur in the second qualifying round.
"Sūduva" and "Tauras" face known opponents
In the second qualifying round, Marijampolė's "Sūduva" and Tauragė's "Tauras" were also drawn tough opponents. The potential opponent for Sūduva is the five-time Swedish champions "Elfsborg", who would still need to overcome the first round and Luxembourg's representative "Fola".
"I would rate the draw as average. I believe it would be better for us to play against the Swedes than against teams from the Balkans or the Caucasus region. Scandinavian football is more predictable and would be more favorable for us. It is too early to assess our chances, but it's good that we will have time to prepare and analyze the matches in the first qualifying round," said "Sūduva" coach Virginijus Liubšys.
In their second appearance in the Europa League, "Tauras" will test their strength against a Dutch club. Tauragė's team was drawn against "ADO Den Haag". The club, with a history of over a hundred years, finished seventh in the Dutch championship last year but won the Europa League playoff.
"We face a strong opponent with a beautiful history from a football country. It will be an honor to play against such a team and make these matches part of our history. We hope that our player from the Netherlands, Regilio Seedorf, will help us gather information about the opponent. The draw was successful in the sense that we won't have to travel far, but it is always better to play the first match away," said "Tauras" coach Gediminas Jarmalavičius.
Both "Tauras" and "Sūduva" will play their first matches at home on July 14 and the second legs on July 21 away.
